Expanding paper tape take-up spool



y 6, 1969 R. E. LAGERGREN EXPANDING PAPER TAPE TAKE-UP SPOOL Filed Jan. 1 1968 INVENTOR RICHARD E. LAGERGREN (2 w A TORNEY I United States Patent 3,442,465 EXPANDING PAPER TAPE TAKE-UP SPOOL Richard E. Lagergren, Rochester, Minn., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 696,909 Int. Cl. B65h 75/18 US. Cl. 242-72 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE members.

Background of the invention This invention pertains to spools and more particularly, to expanding take-up spools for a continuous medium such as tape.

A spool used to take up a media such as paper tape must often be housed in a confined space with limited access. The device must not only provide for uniformly receiving the medium about the winding surface, but must also release the helically Wound accumulated medium which has been tensioned about the spool.

The spool of the present invention provides a winding surface which is expanded in the operating position and slightly relaxed radially inward to release the constriction created by the tensile force exerted during winding when it is desired to remove the tape from the spool. The device further provides for all operating access to be accomplished from one axial end and during operation for successive convolutions of the accumulated tape medium to uniformly overlie one another without shingling in an axial direction.

The spool illustrated and described herein utilizes a series of resilient cantilevered elements which cooperate to define a peripheral winding surface that tapers slightly from the supported axial end when the cantilevered elements are in a relaxed condition. The unrestrained distal ends of the cantilevered elements engage a marginal surface of a generally disc shaped element. The disc member is normally concave and when urged toward a planar condition increases in diameter to drive the cantilevered member distal ends radially outward. This is accomplished by a lever which cams the disc toward a planar condition when pivoted to a non-extended position and permits the spool forming elements to contract radially inwardly when the handle is extended axially outward. Provision of a slight crown at approximately the axial midpoint of the Winding surface assures the uniform winding of successive convolutions of tape about the spool.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved expandable take-up spool.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a take-up spool wherein all access is accomplished from one axial end.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a spool which will accumulate a convolutely wound tape medium uniformly without shingling of the accumulated wound material.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying dra-wlugs.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is an exploded isometric view partly broken away of the spool structure of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical axial section view of the spool of FIGURE 1 with portions in full view.

FIGURE 3 is an axial end elevation of the spool of FIGURE 1.

Detailed description Referring to the drawings, a central shaft 10 carries the spool assembly 11. A series of resilient cantilevered elements 13 are each secured at one end to a hub 15 which is rigidly connected to shaft 10. Intermediate the axially enlarged hub portion 16 secured to shaft 10 for rotation in unison therewith and the cantilevered elements 13 are a series of webs 17 provide additional support for the secured ends of the cantilevered elements 13. The cantilevered element surfaces 20 define a peripheral winding surface, extending from the flange 22 of the hub, about which is collected a continous medium as the spool is rotated. Each cantilevered element 13 also has a radial shoulder surface 25 and inwardly curved end surfaces 27 such that the spool presents a fluted marginal axial end with recesses from which the slots or spaces 28 between adjoining cantilevered elements extend.

span 10 has a reduced diameter terminal end 30 about which is journaled a disc shaped member 33. Member 33 inclp'des an enlarged apertured central portion 34 which is journaled about shaft end 30 and a marginal axial surface adjoining the periphery 35 that abuts the cantilevered element shoulders 25. The concave axial side of the disc shaped member 33 faces the hub 15 such that as the disc member central portion is moved toward hub 15 the peripheral surface 35 urges the distal ends of the cantilevered elements 13 radially outward.

A manual lever 37 is pivotally mounted about a pin 39 carried by the shaft end and presents camming surfaces' 40 engageable with the disc 33 to move the latter from a relaxed position with the lever operating handle extending generally parallel to the shaft, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, to the positions shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 wherein the disc is displaced axially toward hub 15 to expand the distal ends of cantilevered members 13 outwardly. The disc member 33 has a series of slots 43 extending radially inward from the peripheral surface 35 of the 'disc and aligned with the slots intermediate adjoining cantilevered elements 13. The disc is aligned with the spool by a cylindrical projection 46 carried as an integral portion of the disc member 33 which is received in an aperture 47 formed in projecting tab 48 rigidly afiixed to oneof the cantilevered elements 13. The exterior winding surface of the spool as defined by the cantilevered element surfaces 20 has a slight crown or maximum diameter portion 49 at about the axial midpoint of the spool when the cantilevered elements are extended as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

In operation manual lever 37 is first pivoted to the position shown in FIGURES 2 .and 3 with the handle transverse to the axis of shaft 10 to radially expand the distal end portion of cantilevered elements 13. A creased medium 51 such as a paper tape is inserted axially through one of the aligned, joining radial and axial slots and wrapped about the spool periphery sufliciently in excess of one convolution to cause the tape to bind about the spool. As the tape is taken up by accumulating successive convolutions about the spool it is necessary that the accumulated medium be uniformly received and retained on the spool. If the winding surface is frusto-conical with the larger diameter end adjoining hub 15, tension on the tape exerted by the spool causes the inner convolutions to move axially away from the hub as the accumulation increases. If, conversely, the smaller diameter adjoins the hub, the outer convolutions tend to move away from hub 15. The spool, as shown, in the operating condition illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 presents a slight crown at the axial midpoint of the spool. This condition assures the uniform accumulation and retention of wound convolutions. This increased diameter is, by way of example, only 0.005 inch as compared to the ends of the winding surface. This crown or enlarged diameter is only suflicient to assure the nonexistence of a frusto-conical condition.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An expanding spool for the accumulation of a continuous medium thereabout comprising:

a hub member;

a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending cantilevered members each secured adjacent one longitudinal end to said hub;

a convex generally disc shaped member having a peripheral surface engaging said cantilevered members adjacent the distal ends thereof; and

selectively operable means for engaging and radially expanding said disc shaped member and radially outwardly displacing said cantilevered members.

2. The expanding spool of claim 1 wherein said disc shaped member includes radial slots and further comprising positioning means for aligning said radial slots respectively with peripheral spaces intermediate adjoining cantilevered members, whereby a medium coiled about said spool may be readily axially removed therefrom when said selectively operable means is relaxed.

3. The expanding spool of claim 2 further comprising a shaft extending along the axis of said spool having said hub member secured thereto:

axially facing shoulder surfaces presented by each of said cantilevered members engageable by the concave axial side of said disc shaped member, said 4 v i disc shaped member being slidably mounted about said shaft and wherein said selectively operable means engages the convex axial side of said disc shaped member to selectively urge said disc shaped member toward a planar condition.

4. The expanding spool of claim 3 wherein said selectively operable means comprises a lever pivotably attached to said shaft and including camming surfaces engageable with said disc shaped member to urge said disc shaped member axially and displace said cantilevered member distal ends radially outward when said lever is pivoted to a first position.

5. The expanding spool of claim 4 wherein said lever has an operating handle portion which is disposed generally perpendicular to the axis of said shaft when said lever is in said first position and projects enerally parallel to the axis of said spool when pivoted to a second position, said handle portion projecting axially beyond the end of said spool when said lever is disposed in said second position.

6. The expanding spool of claim 4 wherein said cantilevered members define a media engaging peripheral surface having a maximum diameter intermediate said hub and said axially facing shoulder surfaces when said lever is pivoted to said first position.

7. The expanding spool of claim 6 wherein said cantilevered members define a generally cylindrical peripheral surface and the distal end portions define a fluted marginal edge surface with the slots separating peripherally adjoining cantilevered members respectively extending from the axial recesses of said fluted edge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,106,799 2/ 1938 Elvin et a1. 242-72 2,571,321 10/1951 Wettley 242-72 X 2,762,576 9/ 1956 Herr 242-72 NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner. 

